Saturday, February 18, 2012

Hearne is known as the Crossroads. The area got its name as a result of the crossing of two major rail lines when the Missouri Pacific and the Southern Pacific met in town. Along Highway 6 you'll see billboards for a couple BBQ joints, and you might also notice a building with flaking plaster almost touching the highway with "Shamrock" painted on the side. The building has probably had dozens of uses, but most recently it housed a bed & breakfast, then Shamrock Bar-B-Q. Several months ago it became Rucker's BBQ. This is only marked by some painted plywood next to the gravel driveway.

Smoking with a mix of pecan and oak out in front of the joint, the results are mixed. Sausage from Slovacek's has good smoke and great snap and the ribs are great. A rough, smoky, sweet exterior has moist and tender rib meat beneath. The rendered fat helps mix in all the flavors from the rub right into the meat. If only the brisket was smoked as thoughtfully. A pile of smokeless roast beef was soggy mush with strands of chewy fat that even an over-sweet sauce couldn't save. With competition in town from not one, but two cousins, this Rucker has some work to do.

3 comments:

It's true. Stopped in there this afternoon. Had ribs and brisket; they were incredible. Also tried the potato salad (unique, not sure I'm a fan), sauce (good, homemade, but I just ate enough to test it.), and the cobbler (do this!). The kids were a little slow to go in because of the looks, but they REALLY enjoyed the food. Talked a while with the owner (?), Raymie. Seems like a nice guy.

Great BBQ on a visit around 8/15. Had a simple BBQ sandwich then and discovered today they are not open on Sundays. I was ready to ride back about 70 miles to get a sandwich despite having Louis Muellars just up the road. These were nice people I want to support plus they fed me well!

DISCLAIMER:

Each joint is judged on the essence of Texas 'cue...sliced brisket and pork ribs. Sausage is only considered if house made. Sauce is good, but good meat needs no adornment to satisfy. Each review can only be based on specific cuts of meat on that particular day. Finally, if the place fries up catfish or serves a caesar salad, then chances are they aren't paying enough attention to the pits, so we mostly steered clear.

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GLOSSARY

Crust - Layer of black goodness around the edges of brisket or ribs that holds excellent flavor.

Meat Caramel - After gratuitous amounts of smoke are applied, and liquid rendered fat has come to the surface of the meat to mix with the applied rub, a chemical rendering takes place that creates a sweet sticky layer on the surface of the meat that clings to the tip of your finger when pulled away from the meat. This is affectionately known as meat snot.

Parboiled - A process in which ribs are boiled before being grilled or smoked. This is what makes meat fall off the bone, and it also leaves good, flavorful fat in the water. It's cheating.Rendered - The process of cooking fat until it literally melts into the meat. Cook it too fast and the fat is absent from the meat creating dryness. If it's not cooked long enough, the fat remains gelatinous and unsavory. There's no need to put well rendered fat aside.Roast-Beefy - Brisket that hasn't been bathed in smoke, but rather tastes as if it was thrown in an oven like any hunk of roast beef. It might be good food, but it's not BBQ.Sauced - Unsolicited BBQ sauce slathered over top of your meat, usually to add what was non-existent flavor in the meat.Smoke Line - Red line around the outside edge of sliced brisket just below the crust that signifies an adequate amount of time in the smoker.Sugar Cookie - Fat that turns to a slightly sweet and crispy flavorful nugget after copius amounts of smoke are applied.